Grenfell Fire Response News, Issue 35, August 8, 2017

8 August 2017
Issue No: 35

Grenfell Fire
Response News

Drop-in session on retrieving
possessions at The Curve today

A process is now in place to retrieve possessions from flats at Grenfell Tower
that were less extensively damaged by the fire. Kenyon, a specialist recovery
company, has been employed to remove possessions from 33 flats in
Grenfell Tower and 22 flats in Grenfell Walk.

In support of this, Kenyon will host a drop-in session today, Tuesday
8 August, from 2pm to 4pm at The Curve to answer questions families
may have about how possessions are removed, stored and returned.

Additional sessions will be arranged and details will be confirmed in
Wednesday’s newsletter.

If people have any questions, they should talk to their Key Worker
or housing advisor, and for more information and updates visit

www.grenfellresponse.org.uk

Public meeting at Notting Hill
Methodist Church

The next community public meeting will take place on Wednesday
9 August, from 6pm to 7.30pm at Notting Hill Methodist Church,
240 Lancaster Road, Notting Hill, W11 4AH.

The session will aim to provide:

• an update from Response Team representatives

• a face-to-face question and answer session

• guidance on information and support available.

Meetings are open to the public, so please do come along or
invite people from the Lancaster West estate who you think would
like to attend.

If you have suggestions of any issues you would like to see addressed
at the meeting, please contact communityengagement@
grenfellresponse.org

IN THIS EDITION

1 Drop-in session on
retrieving possessions at
The Curve today

1 Public meeting taking
place next week

2 Local families enjoy day
of sailing on Saturday

2 Gas leak at Testerton Walk

2 Free holidays for families
to Cornwall

2 Activities for young
people this summer

3 Public health advice
available at The Curve

3 Mental health support

4 Housing update

4 Minute’s silence at
football match

What is this newsletter for?

This is the thirty-fifth edition
of the Grenfell Fire Response
Team newsletter. We want to
keep you up to date with all
the latest information and
services available to help.

The newsletter is also available
in Arabic and Farsi languages.
For regular updates please follow
us on Twitter @grenfellsupport

and on Facebook at facebook.
com/grenfellsupport or visit
www.grenfellresponse.org.uk

Grenfell Fire Response News

8 August 2017

Local families enjoy day of sailing
on Saturday

A group of families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire enjoyed a trip to
Felpham Sailing Club on Saturday 5 August for a day of sailing and
playing on the beach.

The trip was organised by the Play Association, a charity based in
Hammersmith and Fulham which supports children with special needs.

Steve Boeje, chief executive of the Play Association, said the group were
“absolutely chuffed” with the day. He added “We had a very deserving
group of people that are living in hotels, and (on Saturday) they could
forget all that and have a great day out.”

More information on free activities for children and families over the
summer holidays can be found online at www.rbkc.gov.uk/fis

Gas leak at Testerton Walk

A gas leak has been detected in the supply to Testerton Walk and has
been isolated by the National Grid following an inspection in the area.

Work to fix the leak is now underway, and affected residents have been
informed with a letter. Cooking facilities in Testerton Walk will be affected for
a number of days, however hot water, electricity and heating are still working.

So far, 29 electric hobs have been given to households so that they can continue
cooking. More electric hobs and microwaves are also available if needed.

If people living at Testerton Walk have had any issues as a result of the
gas leak, please call 020 7361 3008 to speak to an advisor.

Free holidays
for families to
Cornwall

Cornwall Hugs Grenfell is offering
free holidays for families affected
by the Grenfell Tower fire to
Cornwall until 2019.

The first holiday available for
families to sign up to is a week’s
free holiday in Falmouth at the
end of August 2017, where
families can enjoy activities,
surfing and days out to The Eden
Project and St Michael’s Mount.
Transport, accommodation and
catering is being offered for
guests, which is made possible
by Falmouth University and the
University of Exeter.

More holidays are being made
available online for families to sign
up to in the upcoming months.

Families can register their
interest online at www.cornwall
hugsgrenfell.org

Activities for children and young people this summer

There are a range of activities planned to support parents in the local community to entertain children
and young people during the summer holidays.

Summer programme
of activities

The Westway Sports centre has
teamed up with arts group ACAVA
and Everyone Active to offer a
programme of free activities for
local children and young people
over the summer holidays.

Young people up to 12 years old
can enjoy sports, activities, arts
and crafts, wildlife adventures
and playschemes. There is also
a creche and a centre for parents.

People can find out more on
the activities available online at

www. westway. org/su m m erf u n

Outdoor summer
holiday activities

The Ecology Centre in Holland
Park, W8 6LU, is running outdoor
summer holiday activities for
young people aged 4 to 12 until
1 September so that children
can have fun and learn about
animals and nature. Please note
that children under eight must
be accompanied by an adult.

To book or for further information
visit www.rbkc.gov.uk/ecology
or call the Ecology Centre on

020 7938 8186 or email
ecology.centre@rbkc.gov.uk

Drop-in and play football
programme

QPR, Westway Sports Centre,
and other local organisations are
providing a free drop-in and play
football programme for 4 to 18 year
olds from the local community.

Sessions are taking place Monday
to Friday, 10am to 4pm at the
Westway Sports Centre and the
programme is being delivered by
professional DBS qualified staff.

More information on events
and activities throughout the
summer can be found online
at www.rbkc.gov.uk/fis

2

Grenfell Fire Response News

8 August 2017

Public health advice available at The Curve this week.

Members of Public Health England
(PHE) will be at the Grenfell
Assistance Centre at The Curve
this week to provide health
information and advice to those
affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

The sessions will be an opportunity
for you to ask questions and
discuss any health concerns you
may have.

Sessions will be taking place at
The Curve on the following days:

• Wednesday 9 August,
midday to 2pm

• Friday 11 August, 2pm to 4pm

Those who have been exposed
to smoke from the fire may have
experienced irritation to their
air passages, skin and eyes,

which can cause coughing and
wheezing, breathlessness and
chest pain. PHE is unable to give
personal medical advice, so if
people continue to experience
these symptoms they should seek
medical advice from their own
GP or by calling NHS 111.

If people don’t have a GP, they
can register for one online at
www.nhs.uk by entering their
postcode, or call 020 8962 4600.
The line is open from 9am to 5pm,
Monday to Friday.

People can also ring NHS 111 for
health advice 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.

If people have waste material or
debris from the fire at their property,
they can contact Kensington and

Chelsea Council on 020 7361 3001
to make arrangements to collect it.

Air quality reports with data
collected from around the site is
published online every week.

More advice from PHE can be
found online at: www.gov.uk/
government/news/
public-health-advice-following-
the-grenfell-tower-fire

Mental health support

There are lots of services available if you or an adult or young person you know Is feeling traumatised
by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Support for adults and young
people over the phone

• If you require an urgent mental
health response for yourself,

or on behalf of a young person,
you can call the NHS 24-hour
support line on 0800 0234 650
or email cnw-tr.spa@nhs.net.
Please let the operator know
you are calling as a result of
the Grenfell Tower fire.

• The British Red Cross helpline is
also available to anyone affected
by the Grenfell Tower fire. For
practical or emotional support
you can call 0800 458 9472.

The line is open from 9am to
5pm, Monday to Friday.

• Adults and young people

can also call the free Samaritans
helpline on 116 123. The line
is open 24 hours a day.

• People under 25 can call Childline
anytime on 0800 11 11 and
have a one-to-one chat with a
supportive, trained counsellor
any time, day or night.

• CALM offers support to men,
who can call the confidential
helpline on 0808 802 58 58

or visit www.thecalmzone.net.

The line is open every day from
5pm to 12 midnight

Read our leaflet on
supporting children and
young people

If you have questions about
how to support a child or young
person affected by the Grenfell
Tower fire, you can download
a leaflet that includes:

• Guidance on how a child might
behave or react after a tragic event

• Ideas for how to support them

• Advice on explaining to a child
what happened.

You can download a copy of the

leaflet at www.rbkc.gov.uk/kb5/

rbkc/fis/localoffer.page?local

offerchannel=0

Support for children with
disabilities and learning
difficulties

• Full of Life Kensington and
Chelsea is providing outreach
counselling to parents of children
with disabilities. A programme
of short breaks is being put in
place for the Summer.

Visit www.fulloflifekc.com

for more information.

3

Grenfell Fire Response News

8 August 2017

What help is
on offer?

Anyone who would like to speak
to the police in relation to the
investigation into the fire are
asked to contact the Met Police

on 0800 032 4539.

Other important contacts

Bereavement support

Call the Freephone helpline

on 0808 808 1677 or email
helpline@cruse.org.uk. The

line is open 24 hours a day.

Replacement UK passports,
visas or immigration queries

Call our advice line on

0300 222 0000. The line
is open 24 hours.

Air quality and smoke exposure

If you have concerns about
any symptoms, please see
your doctor or call NPIS 111.

Housing support

If you have any questions about
housing or want to find out who
your housing officer is please
call 0800 137 111 or 020 7361
3008.

Victim support

Call 0808 1689 111 for practical
and emotional support, or visit

victimsupport.org.uk. The line
is open 24 hours a day.

You can also get physical and
mental support at the Grenfell
Assistance Centre. Find out
more by calling 07712 231 133.

You can also call the Red Cross
helpline on 0800 458 9472.

The line is open from 9am to 5pm,
Monday to Friday.

For regular updates please
follow us on Twitter at

@grenfellsupport and on
Facebook at facebook.com/
grenfellsupport, or visit
www.grenfellresponse.org.uk

Housing update

Finding housing solutions that work for everyone directly affected
by the Grenfell Tower fire remains our absolute priority and we are
working hard to achieve this.

Offers of temporary accommodation are being made on a daily basis,
but we know that families will have concerns around this process
and the idea of accepting a temporary home. So far, 176 offers
of accommodation have been made, 48 offers have been accepted
and 14 households rehoused.

Government has given commitments to help reassure families that:

• their needs are paramount,
all other considerations are
secondary to these

• their rent will not increase and
the same terms and conditions
of their previous home at Grenfell
Tower or Grenfell Walk will be
maintained

• they will have lifetime security
of tenure

• they will not be forced to stay
in temporary accommodation
on a long-term basis

• accepting an offer of temporary
accommodation does not mean
that they lose priority for a
permanent home

• no one has to accept a
particular property and not
accepting a property does not
mean that they will be made
intentionally homeless

• temporary homes will be rent
and utility bill free for 12 months

• for some cases, if they like their
temporary home, there is the
potential for it to become their
permanent home (this will be
discussed when the home is
offered to them).

More information is available on
the housing line on 020 7361
3008.

Minute’s silence observed at
Community Shield football match

A minute’s silence was observed at Sunday’s Community Shield football
match between Arsenal and Chelsea FC, in support of the people and
families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Over 1,000 family members and emergency service personnel were invited
to attend the match and a number of these guests joined the chairman of
the FA, Greg Clarke, on the pitch to lay wreaths before kick-off.

The Choir for Grenfell performed ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’, while the
message ‘For Grenfell’ was displayed around the stadium.

Mr Clarke said “Like the rest of the country, we were all deeply saddened
by the terrible incident at Grenfell Tower. Whilst only a football match, we
hope that in some small way through the Community Shield we can help.”

Proceeds from the match will be donated to support those affected by
the fire, with the FA, Arsenal, Chelsea and McDonalds hoping to raise
around £1.25 million.

4